title: Enhanced visible-photocatalytic activity of anodic TiO2 nanotubes film via decoration with CuInSe2 nanocrystals.
abstract: The fabrication and photocatalytic properties of visible-light driven CuInSe2/TiO2 heterojunction films are reported. CuInSe2 nanoparticles (NCs) were synthesized using a solvothermal method and then decorated onto self-organized anodic TiO2 nanotube (NT) arrays through an electrophoretic deposition process, forming a CuInSe2 NC/TiO2 NT hetero-structure film. An increase in deposition time produced an increased amount of CuInSe2 NCs loaded onto the TiO2 NT arrays, expanding the light-absorption range of the CuInSe2 NCs/TiO2 NTs film from 400 nm to 700 nm. Photocatalytic degradation results show that activities of the CuInSe2 NCs/TiO2 NTs films were significantly enhanced compared to that of pure TiO2 NTs (degradation rate constant k increased from 3 × 10(-3) min(-1) to >1 × 10(-2) min(-1)). Particularly, the CuInSe2 NCs/TiO2 NTs with 50 min electrophoretic deposition show the highest degradation rate, k = 1.6 × 10(-2) min(-1) (more than 5 times greater than that of the pure TiO2 NTs film), due to optimization of CuInSe2 NCs loading and a well-maintained open TiO2 tube-mouth configuration.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Film and Integrated Devices, University of Electronic Science and Technology , Chengdu 610054, China.
authors.forename: Yulong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Huaiwu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Feiming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang